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Absence
David Maclean: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many days on average were lost per employee in her Department because of sickness; and how many officials retired early from her Department in each of the past 10 years. [R] [5052]
Clare Short: Figures for average sickness absence for my Department over the last nine years are:
| Year | Sickness average |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 6.18 |
| 1999 | 7.31 |
| 1998 | 7.34 |
| 1997 | 8.13 |
| 1996 | 6.81 |
| 1995 | 8.59 |
| 1994 | 8.64 |
| 1993 | 9.14 |
| 1992 | 8.21 |
These figures are provided on the basis of working days per staff year where 'working day' equals Monday to Friday, including holidays, and staff year is equivalent to one employee working full-time all year.
The numbers of early retirement and ill-health retirement are as follows:
| Year | Figures |
|---|---|
| 1996–97 | 30 |
| 1997–98 | 7 |
| 1998–99 | 6 |
| 1999–2000 | 12 |
| 2000–01 | 6 |
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| Year | Figures |
|---|---|
| 1998–99 | 2 |
| 1999–2000 | 5 |
| 2000–01 | 0 |
Figures for earlier years are not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost in time and resources.
Commission on TRIPS
Mr. Borrow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make a statement on the meetings of the Commission on TRIPS. [5528]
Clare Short: The Commission on Intellectual Property Rights held full meetings in London on 8 to 9 May and on 4 July. On 8 May, the Commission received oral and written submissions from UK Government Departments, from industry representatives and from development charities. Otherwise, the meetings were used to prepare and finalise the Commission's work programme up until March 2002, when it is expected to present its report.
In addition to these full meetings of the Commission, Dr. Mashelkar visited South Africa at the end of May to discuss IPR issues in general and South African views on access to medicines in particular; while Professor Correa and Professor Barton visited Brussels and Geneva at the beginning of July to meet with representatives from, among others, the European Commission, UNCTAD, WTO, WIPO, WHO and delegations from developing and developed countries.
The work programme which the Commission is now pursuing essentially comprises a programme of technical studies by leading international experts as well as consultations with interested parties from Government, the private sector and civil society around the world. The work programme focuses on nine main areas:
- IPRs, Technology and Development
- Pharmaceutical and Vaccines
Traditional Knowledge and Folklore
IPRs, the Internet and Copyright
20 Jul 2001 : Column: 476W
National IPR legislation in Developing Countries
TRIPS and the International Framework
- Process and Constitutional Issues in International Rule-Making
- Institutional Issues for IPRs regimes in Developing Countries.
Further information about the Commission's mission, composition and work programme can be found on its website www.iprcommission.org.
Mr. Borrow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will list the membership of the Commission on TRIPS. [5525]
Clare Short: The Commission on Intellectual Property Rights comprises the following six experts:
- Professor John Barton, Professor of Law, Stanford University, USA (Chairman)
- Daniel Alexander, Intellectual Property Barrister, UK
- Dr. R. A. Mashelkar, Director, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, India
- Dr. Gill Samuels, Senior Director of Science Policy and Scientific Affairs, Pfizer, UK
- Dr. Sandy Thomas, Director, Nuffield Council for Bioethics, UK
- Professor Carlos Correa, Professor of Economics, University of Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Andhra Pradesh
Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will provide a sectoral breakdown of the funding provided by the United Kingdom Government to the Government of Andhra Pradesh in (a) the past three years and (b) the next three years. [4933]
Clare Short: The table shows the amounts that DFID has spent in Andhra Pradesh in the last three years, and an estimate of the amounts which will be spent this year and the next two years on existing projects. A number of new project proposals are under discussion.
| 1998–99(4) | 1999–2000(4) | 2000–01(4) | 2001–02(5) | 2002–03(5) | 2003–04(5) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Urban poverty | 425 | 92 | 933 | 11,000 | 15,000 | 15,000 |
| Rural livelihoods | 86 | 40 | 48 | 3,000 | 6,500 | 7,500 |
| Power sector reform | 1,211 | 4,510 | 5,867 | 5,300 | 5,300 | 5,000 |
| Energy efficiency | 1,018 | 2,535 | 5,950 | 8,000 | 2,000 | — |
| Economic reform | — | 666 | 961 | 1,000 | 1,000 | 800 |
| Primary education | 4,092 | 4,601 | 3,895 | 3,500 | 4,000 | 4,000 |
| Child labour | 21 | 564 | 586 | 900 | 1,100 | — |
| Tackling TB | 190 | 6,004 | 841 | 1,800 | 2,000 | 2,000 |
(4) Actual
(5) Estimated
Note:
In addition to the expenditure given above, DFID is supporting a number of national and multi-state projects which cover Andhra Pradesh, but it is not possible to isolate the money that is spent in AP. These projects are for microenterprise, sexual health, water and sanitation, and training of police.
20 Jul 2001 : Column: 477W
Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development (1) what contributions the Government have made to the implementation of Vision 2020 by the Government of Andhra Pradesh; and if she will make a statement; [4936]
(2) what steps have been taken to ensure that the needs of the poorest and most marginalized in Andhra Pradesh have been included in the design and implementation of Vision 2020; and what financial costs have been incurred by the United Kingdom Government as a result of these steps; [4934]
(3) what assessment she has made of the economic, social and environmental impact of implementing Vision 2020 in Andhra Pradesh. [4935]
Clare Short: Vision 2020 sets out a series of goals, including the eradication of poverty in the state in 20 years. The document is a draft on which the Andhra Pradesh Government have sought comments and views from civil society. To attain the goals outlined in Vision 2020, the AP Government are developing strategies, on which they are also consulting. Officials from my Department have been involved in some of the discussions because Andhra Pradesh is one of our partner states in India.
A DFID strategy paper, which sets out our approach to assisting in the elimination of poverty in the state, has been published. A copy is being placed in the Library.
Tariffs
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent discussions she has had with her EU counterparts on reducing tariffs on (a) agriculture and (b) textiles in the context of WTO organisations. [5517]
Clare Short: We are working with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to influence the European Commission's position at the on-going agriculture negotiations in Geneva, including discussions on tariffs. We are working with the Department of Trade and Industry to ensure that a new trade round will include substantial tariff reductions, including for textiles and clothing from developing countries.
Mongolia
Mr. Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make a statement on her Department's assistance to Mongolia. [5751]
Clare Short: The UK provides bilateral aid to Mongolia through a Small Grants Scheme (currently £225,000 per annum). Activities during 1999 included support to street children, HIV/AIDS educations for young people and income generation for households in the poorer provinces. DFID also provides support to the World bank's Sustainable Livelihoods Programme (£170,000 for 2000–01)—contributing to the Participatory Living Standards Assessment and project preparation.
In addition, as part of our regular contribution to these agencies, in 1998 the UK contributed approximately £3 million through multilateral agencies in Mongolia.
20 Jul 2001 : Column: 478W
Over the past year, DFID has also contributed £1.2 million for the provision of emergency relief (for the winter diasters or 'dzuds') under the framework of the UN appeal.
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